Figure skater’s mother dies

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Canadian star figure skater Joannie Rochette’s 55-year-old mother, Therese, died of a massive heart attack early Sunday, just a few hours after arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete.

Rochette still plans to skate and was at practice Sunday afternoon after spending the morning at the Olympic village with her father, Normand.

“She’s going to get through this,” teammate Cynthia Phaneuf said. “She is just so strong. By being here and being able to compete after that happened, I’m just very impressed. I think she’s doing the right thing. She won’t get any stronger in her room.”

The women’s event begins Tuesday with the short program.

After spending Sunday morning with her father and longtime coach Manon Perron, Rochette appeared in the runway as the rest of the skaters in her practice session took the ice.

“I didn’t expect her to come,” said Swiss skater Sarah Meier, one of the other five skaters in the session. “I think I wouldn’t be able to do the same thing if I was in her situation.”

Though she was blinking hard her first few laps around the ice, Rochette showed no lapses in concentration, jumped well and did a light run-through of her tango short program.

Ukrainian ski jumper Vitaliy Shumbarets was taken to a hospital after crashing during training at Whistler Olympic Park.

Organizers said Shumbarets did not appear to be seriously injured but was momentarily unconscious and was airlifted out of the ski jump venue.

Former track star Carl Lewis is ready to take on 49ers tight end Vernon Davis — in curling.

The nine-time gold medalist sprinter gave the American men a pep talk before their match with Britain, just as Davis did a day earlier.

Toxins released by the algae have poisoned dolphins, manatees, tons of fish and even contributed to the death of a 26-foot-long whale shark. The deluge of dead and rotting wildlife strewn across beaches has threatened to upturn the vital Florida tourist season